Sydney private school teacher charged with grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material
Consensus Summary
A Sydney private school teacher named Benjamin David Collinge, aged 29, was arrested on March 28, 2024, after allegedly grooming a 14-year-old girl by posing as a 17-year-old boy online. Collinge, a casual music teacher at prestigious Newington College, allegedly pressured the girl into sending sexually explicit material in exchange for money. Police found child abuse material on his devices during a search of his Beecroft home, and he was charged with grooming a minor and accessing child abuse material. Newington College terminated his employment immediately after his arrest, confirming no students from the school were involved. Collinge, who had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory training, was refused bail and remanded in custody until April 2. The case highlights concerns about online grooming and the importance of parental supervision of childrenās digital activity.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Benjamin David Collinge, a 29-year-old casual music teacher at Newington College, was arrested on March 28, 2024, in Beecroft, Sydneyās north, for allegedly grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material
- Collinge allegedly posed as a 17-year-old boy online to contact the vulnerable 14-year-old girl via a social media app affected by Australiaās under-16 social media ban
- Collinge offered the girl a ānot significantā amount of money in exchange for sexually explicit material, with multiple messages exchanged between them
- Police found child abuse material on an electronic device during a search of Collingeās Beecroft home
- Newington College terminated Collingeās employment after his arrest, with headmaster Michael Parker confirming no Newington students were involved in the alleged grooming
- Collinge was charged with using a carriage service to groom someone under 16 and using a carriage service to access child abuse material
- Collinge was remanded in custody until April 2, 2024, and refused bail at Burwood Local Court
- Collinge had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory child protection training at Newington College since 2015
- The girlās parents alerted police after noticing suspicious communications, leading to Collingeās arrest
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Collinge allegedly first made contact with the child on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, via a social media app
- Detective Acting Superintendent Karl Leis emphasized that the offenses were committed āin the privacy of someoneās own homeā as a reminder for parents to monitor childrenās online activity
- The article includes specific tuition fees for Newington College: $27,819 for kindergarten and $48,141 for year 12 students
- The article mentions Collinge is a former Newington College student who graduated in 2014
- The SMH article provides contact details for national sexual assault counseling services (1800 Respect, CASA, Kids Helpline) at the end
- Police descended on Collingeās Beecroft home at approximately 5:45 AM on the day of his arrest
- The ABC article includes a quote from Superintendent Leis stating Collinge āpurported to be a 17-year-old boyā in his interactions with the girl
- The ABC article specifies Collinge worked in casual roles with the music department at Wyvern House and Lindfield campuses since 2015
- The ABC article notes the girlās parents made a report to police on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, leading to the investigation
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources
Source Articles
Private school teacher allegedly āpressuredā vulnerable girl, 14, for abuse material
Police allege the former Newington College secondary teacher posed as a 17-year-old to offer the teenager cash in exchange for sexually explicit material....
Sydney private school teacher charged with grooming 14yo girl
A casual teacher at Newington College has been charged with allegedly encouraging a 14-year-old girl to send sexually explicit images for money....